Some 75% of scientists working in the United States are considering leaving the country to continue their science careers in Europe, Canada, and elsewhere, according to a March survey published in Nature magazine. Many participants in the survey cited a climate of “hostility” to science and to those involved in scientific research. There is also a false, but insidious belief that an AI-fueled utopia will make basic scientific research obsolete. At both university research facilities and national laboratories, morale is at an all-time low. Several nations are actively wooing these researchers.
In the recent Big Beautiful Bill, NASA’s budget was cut nearly in half, the National Institutes of Health budget was cut 40%, and the National Science Foundation had its budget cut by more than 50%. According to a recent study conducted at American University a reduction of just 25% in research and development would cause economic damage to the U.S. economy equivalent to the “Great Recession” of 2007 to 2009, about a 3.8% annual drop to the GDP. This 25% cut to R& D would also drop federal revenues by 4.3% per year.
Since the end of World War II the federal government’s funding of basic research has allowed American companies to be world leaders in electronics, computer science, medicine, aerospace technologies, and many other fields. This commitment to science made America a dream destination for young researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world. Three-quarters of international students who earn a PhD. in the U.S. stayed and became a great asset in the nation’s economy. Nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, such as Google, Amazon, or Moderna.
